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Perched on the side of a rural road, a ‘phantom hitchhiker’ gave pals Rob Davies and Chris Felton a spooky surprise.

The ghostly sight of a man all in beige seeking a lift near Belsay in Northumberland left the Gateshead radio presenters in for a sleepless night.

The pair claim the man was dressed in RAF gear as he emerged late at night – and they have since discovered that he was stood close to where an air force jet crashed during the Second World War.

Rob, from Whickham, and Chris, from Birtley, had been out recording a piece on the anniversary of the Battle of Otterburn and were heading home along the A696 just after 11.30pm on Wednesday when they spotted the unusual figure.

Rob, 27, said: “We saw a man standing at the side of the road. We both actually jumped at first because we didn’t see him until very late.

“He was dressed in a beige colour from head to toe. He was sticking his arm out for a lift, but we could not stop in time due to being at 60mph.”

Rob claims the man’s eyes did not reflect the car’s lights and added: “Chris, who was driving, decided to turn around for him but we both agreed that he looked a bit odd. We were two miles north of the nearest village and there was nothing for miles.

“We said we would pick him up if he was real and just make sure he was dropped at the nearest village, and joked he might be a phantom hitchhiker.

“I started filming on my iPhone as it seemed a bit odd. We couldn’t remember how far back he was, but we saw him again and slowed.

“He was dressed in what I can only describe as RAF gear and was holding something under his arm, which looked like a helmet or some kind of bag.

A species of rare and protected fish has been spotted in the region’s rivers following improvements in river water quality.

The Environment Agency, working with local angling groups and Natural England, has been surveying North-East rivers searching for Lamprey.

So far one spawning site on the River Wear and a total of 20 adult sea lampreys have been counted.

In North Yorkshire, Natural England has a project underway in search for sea lampreys on the River Ouse.

River and sea lampreys are also expected to return to spawning grounds on the lower River Wharfe, Swale, Nidd and Ure.

Experts say the rare, jawless fish are a good indication of the high quality of the river water and scientists are continuing to search for more lampreys on the Wear and the Ouse river catchments.

Paul Frear, Environment Agency fisheries officer, said:

“We welcome the return of the lampreys back to Yorkshire and the North East. The lampreys are like swallows. They return to the same spot to spawn within the same few days every year.

“These illusive fish are extremely selective with their spawning sites and will only nest where the water quality is good. Their appearance is a ringing endorsement of the water quality in these areas.”

Scientists say lamprey are extremely unusual. The most primitive fish in the world, it uses its mouth like a suction-cup to attach itself to the skin of a fish and rasp away tissue with its sharp probing tongue and teeth.

They outwardly resemble eels because they have no scales and an adult lamprey can range anywhere from 13cm to 100cm. They have large eyes, one nostril on the top of their heads, and seven gill pores on each side.

Claire Horseman, from Natural England, said:

“We are hoping that the lamprey projects being undertaken by Natural England and the Environment Agency will help us better understand the migratory behaviour of these primitive species and the challenges that they face along their migratory route. With this increased understanding we can work towards restoring lamprey populations to their former status.”

During the Middle Ages lampreys were widely eaten by the upper classes throughout Europe, especially during fasting periods, because their taste is much meatier than that of other fish.

The deaths of two English kings, Henry I and John, are said to have been from overindulging on the fish.

A piece of First World War architecture, built in 1917 to protect Sunderland from Zeppelin attacks has re-opened following a £68,000 restoration.

Fulwell Acoustic Mirror’s historic value went unrecognised for many years and its deterioration led to its inclusion on the Historic England – previously known as English Heritage – Heritage at Risk register.

This triggered a partnership between Sunderland City Council, Historic England and Limestone Landscape which has led to its sympathetic restoration.

The Acoustic Mirror was built to help detect German airships following a series of Zeppelin raids on the North-East coastline during 1915 and 1916.

It was designed to act as an acoustic early warning system against air raids, after a bomb dropped by a Zeppelin over the Wheatsheaf area of Sunderland in April 1916 left 22 people dead and more than 100 injured.

The mirror worked by reflecting sound detected by a microphone in front of the dish to an operator who could alert the authorities of approaching Zeppelins.

A mystery explosion in Catterick in the early hours of Saturday morning has been followed by further reports of loud bangs across the country – leading to wild theories about meteors and spy planes.

The massive bang reported at around 3am on Saturday, heard in the Marne Barracks area of Catterick Village, resulted in the A1 being closed for more than 12 hours while extensive searches were carried out.

Police found no obvious signs of an explosion and say they may never know what caused the noise, although investigations are still ongoing.

Later on Saturday night, at around 10pm, people across Britain reported hearing loud bangs which experts have claimed could have been caused by a jet engine, fuelling some theories that they could have come from a top secret fighter plane.

The bangs could be heard from Glasgow to West Sussex and Devon and social media was awash with ideas about what could have created the noise which shook windows, woke children and alarmed animals.

A Sheffield-based engineering research associate among a team of scientists working the technology behind types of pulse detonation engine said test engines could often be heard for miles.

Dr Bhupendra Khandelwal said:

“When we run a test engine it’s a real industrial noise and you can hear it for miles. We have people coming to us asking to make less noise or keep it to the daytime.”

The engine works by using the force from a series of explosions, caused by mixing a fuel mist and air intake, to thrust itself forward. It is thought to be able to power planes at five times the speed of sound.

The technology builds upon ‘pulsejet‘ principles which first emerged in the early 1900s and were used in German V-1 flying bombs.

Test flights using the most recent forms of the technology have lasted only a few seconds, but it is still listed by conspiracy theorists as a possible way of powering the so-called Aurora spy jet.

The theorists have cited Aurora – a name which appeared in a Pentagon budget report in the 1980s – as an ongoing spy plane project for several years.

After the Catterick explosion officers carried out extensive searches in the area where the explosion was reported but found no obvious signs of an explosion.

During the course of the day, eight members of the public came forward to report hearing a what they describe as an explosion in the area.

Superintendent Dave Hannan of North Yorkshire Police said:

“We are satisfied that the call to the police was made with good intent.

“The investigation is still ongoing but there is no information or evidence to say this reported explosion was a criminal or deliberate act.”

The discovery of a forgotten time capsule has baffled history buffs at Durham Cathedral.

Workmen dismantling a Victorian bookcase to make way for a new door were surprised to find two newspapers from 1880 hidden under the base – and names written on the timbers in pencil.

The discovery has puzzled historians who believed the towering bookcases were installed when the stunning Monks’ Dormitory was opened in the 1850s.

Cathedral archaeologist Norman Emery now believes the Dormitory, a library, may have been extended at a later date.

But even that theory raises questions, as Mr Emery explained:

“Perhaps the library was extended at a later date and the new bookcases made as exact copies of the existing ones, but they appear to me to have all been made at the same time, which is baffling.”

Meanwhile, Mr Emery and colleagues are investigating the graffiti, bearing the names John Milbanke, believed to have been a Victorian builder and joiner from Church Street, Durham, and Robert Robson , a builder, mayor, alderman and justice of the peace whose eldest son served as the cathedral’s clerk of works.

The newspapers unearthed were the Newcastle Daily Chronicle of July 13, 1880, and the London Weekly Times of June 17, 1880.

Stories of the day included parliamentary debates, imperial affairs and a Sunderland manslaughter trial, all featured alongside adverts for assorted miracle cures and agricultural show results.

The Times carries a name and address written in ink across the centre page: Mr R Yelloby, Berwick on Tweed.

“It would be fascinating to know the link between this man and the man who ended up with the newspaper,” Mr Emery said.

The mysterious find follows the discovery of Roman pottery and a single pre-historic flint under the cathedral’s Great Kitchen in April.

The cathedral is undergoing major renovation as part of the £10m Open Treasure programme, which will see the creation of a world-class exhibition space capable of hosting priceless artefacts from the cathedral’s collections and across the world.